When hair is washed with modern shampoos it is usually cleaned very efficiently, and the process not only removes soil, but also tends to remove the natural sebum which serves to lubricate the hair. This removal of lubrication increases the friction between the individual hair fibers and promotes tangling, both in wet and dry hair. It also gives rise to a build-up of static charge on the hair, particularly from interactions with plastic combs and brushes. The net result is damage to the hair. Also damage to the outer surface of hair is a continuous process caused by such factors as washing, brushing, atmospheric influences, etc. This continuing damage is very much associated with surface friction and any influence to reduce friction and static charge will also reduce the amount of damage to the hair.
The absorption onto hair of quaternaries having long chain fatty portions as part of its molecule is the basis for most hair conditioner formulae. The fatty portion of the molecule which is largely attached to the substrate acts as a lubricant. The lubricating action makes combing easier. However, this substantivity of said quaternary compounds to the hair dulls the hair and builds up on the hair.
It has been found that hair treated with a long chain fatty quaternary such as stearyl benzyl dimethyl ammonium chloride or cetyl trimethyl ammonium chloride or distearyl dimethyl ammonium chloride and the like, or a conditioner containing a fatty quaternary and then washed with a conventional shampoo containing anionic surfactants such as alkyl ether polyethenoxy sulfate (AEPS), sodium lauryl sulfate, and the like, has a deposit on its surface. This deposit is a combination product formed by the interaction of the shampoo anionic surfactant with the quaternary of the conditioner. Thus, it is difficult to remove the cationic quaternary with conventional shampoos containing anionic surfactants because of the formation of a cationic-anionic complex on the hair surface. Such deposit is not easily removed by conventional shampoo surfactants, and with continued use of the shampoo and the conditioner, the amount of this deposit or build-up tends to increase.
It has now been found that present novel hair rinse conditioners do not build-up on the hair, are easily removed from the hair by shampooing, and provide good conditioning and manageability.
In the field of hair conditioning, the prior art is replete with hair conditioing compositions containing one or more of the components of the present novel and unique no build-up hair rinse conditioner compositions. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,160,082 discloses compositions containing a stearyltrimethyl ammonium chloride conditioning agent and propylene glycol. U.S. Pat. No. 4,210,161 discloses a creme rinse containing cetyl trimethyl ammonium chloride and hydroxyethyl cellulose thickening agent. U.S. Pat. No. 4,436,722 discloses the combination of cetyl trimethyl ammonium chloride, cetyl alcohol and propylene glycol in hair conditioning compositions. U.S. Pat. No. 4,144,326 discloses an oil free hair rinse composition which includes the combination of lauryl trimethyl ammonium chloride, propylene glycol and hydroxypropylmethyl cellulose acidified with citric acid. U.S. Pat. No. 4,183,917 discloses an oil-in-water emulsion hair conditioning composition which comprises the combination of C.sub.10 -C.sub.22 alkyl trimethyl ammonium chloride, mineral oil, cetyl alcohol and propylene glycol. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,421,740, a conditioning composition is disclosed which employs the combination of a mixed higher alkyl C.sub.12 -C.sub.18 trimethyl ammonium chloride, cetyl or stearyl alcohol and hydroxyethyl cellulose. U.S. Pat. No. 4,374,825 discloses a hair conditioning composition containing the combination of a volatile silicone, a nonionic cellulose polymer thickening agent and a dicetyl dimethyl quat. or ditallow amine. European Pat. No. 0,137,998 discloses the combination of lauryl trimethyl quat and cetyl alcohol in a hair rinse composition. U.S. Pat. No. 4,220,166 discloses a moisture conditioner hair spray containing 1-15% of a 60:40% PVP-VA copolymer, and 0.05-1.5% of a copolymer of dimethyl polysiloxane and a polyoxyalkylene ester (Silicone Fluid SF1066 by GE) in alcohol. U.S. Pat. No. 3,928,558 discloses a hair spray composition containing cyclomethicone and a copolymer of vinyl pyrrolidone and vinyl acetate (PVP/VA) in a methylene chloride/isopropyl alcohol mixture. British Pat. No. 1,540,862 discloses that PVP/VA copolymers form an undesirable brittle film on the hair which causes unpleasant dusting and a dandruff-like condition, and is difficult to rinse off the hair.
However, it is noted that none of the above cited patents discloses a hair rinse conditioner composition which is easily removed from the hair, comprising the specific mixture of a dodecyl trimethyl halide, a C.sub.14 -C.sub.22 alcohol or mixture of alcohols, and a cyclic or linear silicone, as the essential ingredients, emulsified in an aqueous medium.